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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fine — high quality
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chest — a box
  7. rock — music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fine — all right
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for golf
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spell — magic
  20. hand — help
  21. spell — letters
  22. club — a group
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com